Welcome to today’s Rugby League LIVE blog as we bring you the latest news and rumours from around the game.

We are firmly focused on local matters as both Hull FC and Hull KR prepare for the upcoming campaign.

The Robins just about have their squad sorted for round one against FC and we’ve got analysis on how that side might shake up. Tim Sheens has also been speaking about why Danny Addy will feature in the derby.

Across the river and the Black and Whites are busy getting up to speed for the new season. Prop Mickey Paea has been speaking about his future and why he’s savouring every moment.

Elsewhere, we have updates from around the league and one particular story which has provided bad news for Huddersfield Giants.

Something a little light

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16:34Gareth Westmorland

Williams and Higham to draw second round of Challenge Cup

The Coral Challenge Cup second round draw will take place on Monday, January 28 at 6.00pm live from the clubhouse of either Wigan St Patricks or Leigh East on the BBC Sport website, depending on the result of their first-round tie this weekend (Saturday, January 26 – KO 2.30pm).

Higham lifted the famous trophy at Wembley Stadium with his previous club, Warrington Wolves, in 2009, 2010 and 2012. Two-times Super League Grand Final winner George Williams, a former Wigan St Patricks player, played in his first Challenge Cup final in 2017 against Hull FC.

The 26 winners from this weekend’s Round One fixtures will be drawn in 13 ties which will take place on February 9-10.

Fans will be able to watch two of this weekend’s First Round ties with no charge.

Saturday’s trans-Pennine meeting of Orrell St James and Underbank Rangers from Holmfirth will be shown on the RFL’s Our League channel (web and app), while Sunday’s historic meeting of Millom and Red Star Belgrade in Cumbria will be shown by the BBC on their online platforms.

Gale announced as RLWC2021 ambassador

Rugby League World Cup 2021 (RLWC2021) has today announced Castleford’s Luke Gale as its CreatedBy ambassador, where he will figurehead the tournament’s legacy initiative and use his grassroots experience to promote the community capital funding opportunities for clubs and organisations.

I have a huge passion for the grassroots game. Without the support I received from community clubs and projects during my development, I simply would not have made it to where I am today.

Castleford Tigers' Luke Gale

I’m incredibly proud of my career so far and I owe a lot to those who helped me along the way. #KickingForGrassroots and becoming an ambassador for CreatedBy are ways for me to help play my part in helping the next generation.

13:11

ICYMI: Roosters to train with Toulouse

Sydney Roosters will share a training day with Championship side Toulouse in Paris as part of their World Club Challenge preparations.

The NRL winners face Super League champions Wigan at the DW Stadium on Sunday, February 17.

The Roosters, who are coached by former Toulouse and Catalans Dragons boss Trent Robinson, will prepare by linking up with the French club at the Sport and Intelligence National Centre in Paris on February 13.

Toulouse coach Sylvain Houles is a former team-mate of Robinson, who also intends to take his players to visit the Anzac memorials in the Somme as part of the trip.

12:10

England star Burgess knocks back Eels deal

South Sydney Rabbitohs prop George Burgess has turned down the opportunity to move to NRL side Parramatta Eels.

The NRL club have significant cap space ahead of the 2019 season and were hoping to land Burgess on a multi-year deal, with the forward out of contract with the Rabbitohs at the end of the year.

But the England star is staying put following the arrival of national coach Wayne Bennett during the off-season. The 26-year-old is said to be in Bennett’s plans.

“He will be with us in 2019 and Wayne has always indicated he wants him here,” general manager Shane Richardson told NRL.com.

England's George Burgess tackled by New Zealand's Kodi Nikorima and James Fisher Harris (Image: SWpix)

11:40Gareth Westmorland

Catalans Cup episode 'wasn't a PR disaster' - Rimmer

Rugby Football League chief executive Ralph Rimmer has defended his handling of the Challenge Cup dispute with holders Catalans Dragons, insisting it was not a public relations disaster.

The French club made history in 2018 by becoming the first overseas outfit to win the prestigious knockout competition and, on the back of their triumph, will play a Super League fixture against Wigan at Barcelona’s Nou Camp in May.

But the Catalans’ participation in the Challenge Cup in 2019 was thrown into serious doubt when chairman Bernard Guasch refused to commit to a £500,000 bond in the event of them reaching Wembley again and RFL experiencing another financial shortfall as a result of a second successive low crowd for the final.

A week of negotiations resulted in a compromise, enabling the governing body to save face, and Rimmer says he is delighted with the outcome.

The details of the compromise are commercially sensitive but Bernard has been really good.

It was a tense situation but I give great credit to them. I don’t think it was a PR disaster; we launched the cup yesterday, we’ve a new sponsor and the reigning champions are included.

11:09Gareth Westmorland

It's a cold one at Craven Park

10:42

MOS contenders

The Steve Prescott Man of Steel award will become a season-long event this year due to voting changes.

Either a former player or a coach will choose the top performers from games each week, with the panel rotating every round.

The move comes after players from across the competition continued to disrespect the award by going so far as to choosing players who hadn’t even taken the field during the seasons in question.

It’s safe to say the changes to the voting have brought back the respectability aspect of it, but who actually stands a chance of winning the award?

We thought we’d take a look at nine contenders with nine days to go until the start of the 2019 campaign. There are a couple of local-based names thrown in there for good measure.

Sheens on team selections

Danny will be in the 17 at this stage. He can play almost anywhere. He can play 13, which is a ball-playing role for him and his style of 13.

He can play back-row, and given that I’m now looking at James Greenwood as a middle, it means Danny will predominantly be a back-rower.

But he’s the sort of player you can put on your bench and he can cover half-back, hooker, centre, second-row, 13. So you don’t need to carry a specific back.

(Image: Jerome Ellerby)

09:42

Blow for England star

England winger Jermaine McGillvary could miss the first two months of the new Super League season after tearing a hamstring in Huddersfield Giants’ friendly at Wakefield.

Already without McGillvary’s centre partner Leroy Cudjoe for the start, Giants coach Simon Woolford admits the latest injury blow is a major setback just nine days before the opening game against Salford.

McGillvary, who hobbled off in the first half of Huddersfield’s 28-24 loss on Tuesday night, will have scans to determine the extent of the injury but Woolford estimates he could be out for up to 12 weeks.

“He’s going to be out for an extended period,” Woolford said. “It’s not a minor hammy injury, it’s going to be quite a big one. With Leroy out already, we couldn’t afford to lose Jermaine.

“Someone is going to have to step up for round one and probably the first half a dozen rounds, to be honest.”

Jermaine McGillvary celebrates a try (Image: SWpix.com)

Woolford may switch Darnell McIntosh to the wing, where he top-scored in 2018, and bring in veteran full-back Scott Grix, who has returned to the club as a coach, or turn to teenage twins Louis and Innes Senior.

“We’ve put Darnell to full-back and he’s doing a really good job there so we’re not sure whether we’ll use him or Louis or Innes there,” Woolford.

“We conceded some tries down the side that the seniors were on, so we’ll have to have a look at it.”

From PA

09:37Paul Clarke

Welcome and we'll start with Hull FC

Mickey Paea admits he is now at the stage of his career where he is savouring every moment with Hull FC, knowing full well 2019 could be his last year of playing.

The 32-year-old has enjoyed a long career to date on both sides of the world, featuring for Sydney Roosters, St George Illawarra Dragons, Canterbury Bulldogs and Newcastle Knights in the NRL, plus Hull KR and the Black and Whites in the UK.

Paea was solid for Hull on his return to these shores last year but is now in the second season of his deal with the club.

The front rower is one of 16 FC players out of contract at the end of the year and knows form will play a big part in whether his journey continues into 2020.

Paea concedes there are also personal factors which will go into the decision on his future, but the most important thing in the former Tonga international’s mind is retaining the love for the game, something which he certainly hasn’t lost heading into the new season.